Providing for pre-adolescent girls in India

In a survey of poor girls aged between 9 and 13 in municipal schools in Mumbai, 69% were found to be suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition. Such poverty has detrimental effects on education: 60% of those who had managed to stay in school dropped out after class seven (age 13) as there are no secondary schools nearby and their parents will not spend money on textbooks, uniforms or transport to schools elsewhere in the city. Despite government provision of universal education, in theory up to the age of 14, this last year of schooling is difficult to complete for many girls who enter the marriage and child labour markets at the age of just 13.

The period between the ages of 9 and 13 is a difficult time for girls in India. A new term, ‘balkishori’, tries to articulate the experience of being a girl of this age, when she is neither a ‘balika’, a girl child, nor quite a ‘kishori’, a young adult. Discrimination against girls starts from birth as dangerously low ratios of surviving infants in some districts show, such as 800 girls for 1000 boys in age group 0-6. It often continues with discrimination in matters of investment in education, access to rest and recreation, restricted food intake and freedom of choice in dress, friends, movement.

The research was conducted in 2002 by Vacha (meaning ‘articulation’ in several Indian languages), a Mumbai-based women’s and girls’ resource centre aiming to work with girl students from poor families and highlight their neglect in many educational and health programmes. Interviews with 2550 balkishori girls, indicated that:

• Girls perform more than three major heavy household chores daily and report they have little time for home study or play.
• More girls than boys are enrolled at state-run schools: parents prefer to send boys to private, or English-speaking schools - this enables boys to gain higher earning jobs after school.
• In the more prestigious state-run English speaking schools, there are 64% more boys than girls, while In Urdu-speaking schools, there are 27% more girls than boys,.indicating this same trend.
• Girls report that even if they do not like studying, they like school because it lets them go out, escape housework and be with their peers.
• Girls report they generally perform better than boys in exams. Their very lack of mobility and playtime might be making it possible to take their exam-related homework seriously.

Vacha believes that the health and educational status of balkishori girls can be improved through free school food programmes. The Supreme Court of India passed a judgement three years ago that cooked food must be provided in all state-run schools. The free food is for all children aged 6 to 10. Although the policy is known to have raised attendance in schools, especially amongst the poor, it has not been universally applied. In some areas nothing is given and in others only dry rice. Whilst for teachers and parents it is easier to distribute dry rice, there is no guarantee that girls will receive an adequate portion of the food they take home. Also, dry food such as rice, peanuts or biscuits can be stolen during distribution. Cooked meals, eaten within school, are therefore better, although there have been concerns over the quality and hygiene of meals in many areas.

Based on the findings of its research, Vacha is now advocating for free cooked meals to be given at school to children up to class seven (age 12 or 13) so that balkishori are also covered. Not only would such a policy help compensate for the disproportionate degree of malnutrition faced by these girls, it would also go some way towards increasing the likely birth weight of their children and reducing their risk of dying in childbirth.

Vacha calls for:

• proper schemes for free midday meals and their extension to the whole of primary education
• free public transport for girls to go to school
• involving parents in schools management as there are currently no parent-teacher associations in municipal schools
• involving civil society institutions in supporting girls’ education
• fully implementing ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, India’s Education for All scheme, to enrol and retain all children in schools up to the age of 14. The scheme includes special facilities for girls and gender training for teachers and others.

Sonal Shukla and Nischint Hora
Vacha
5 Bhavana Apts., Opp.GTC, S.V.Rd. Vileparle W
Mumbai 400056
India
T + 91 22 26713469 / 26055523
vacha@vsnl.com
www.vachaforwomen.org

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